Electronic device and touch-sensing method
An electronic device and a corresponding touch-sensing method are provided. The electronic device includes a display module integrated with a first touch sensor, a second touch sensor, and a sense circuitry. The first touch sensor generates a first sensing signal in response to a first driving signal. The second touch sensor generates a second sensing signal in response to a second driving signal. The sense circuitry is coupled to the first and the second touch sensors. The sense circuitry receives and analyzes the first sensing signal and the second sensing signal.
Latest HTC Corporation Patents:
This application claims the priority benefits of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 61/546,069, filed on Oct. 12, 2011. The entirety of the above-mentioned patent application is hereby incorporated by reference herein and made a part of this specification.
BACKGROUND1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an electronic device and a touch-sensing method. More particularly, the present invention relates to an electronic device and a method of sensing touch operations on two touch sensors.
2. Background
In
For example,
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to an electronic device. The electronic device includes an integrated display module and an independent touch sensor. The integrated display module may be used for detecting touch operations on the touch display and the independent touch sensor may be used for detecting touch operations on the virtual keys. Such a touch-sensing device provides a low-cost solution to increase the effectiveness, efficiency and user satisfaction with touch-sensitive electronic devices.
The present invention is also directed to a touch-sensing method. The touch-sensing method increases the effectiveness, efficiency and user satisfaction with touch-sensitive electronic devices in the same way as that of the aforementioned touch-sensing electronic device.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, an electronic device is provided. The electronic device includes an display module integrated with a first touch sensor, a second touch sensor, and a sense circuitry. The display module may be a liquid crystal module (LCM). The first touch sensor generates a first sensing signal in response to a first driving signal. The second touch sensor generates a second sensing signal in response to a second driving signal. The sense circuitry is coupled to the first and the second touch sensors. The sense circuitry receives and analyzes the first sensing signal and the second sensing signal.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, a touch-sensing method is provided, which includes the following steps. Provide a first driving signal to a first touch sensor integrated with an display module, or instruct the first driving signal to be provided to the first touch sensor. Provide a second driving signal to a second touch sensor. Receive and analyze a first sensing signal generated by the first touch sensor in response to the first driving signal. Receive and analyze a second sensing signal generated by the second touch sensor in response to the second driving signal.
The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.
Reference will now be made in detail to the present embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawings and the description to refer to the same or like parts.
The sense circuitry 440 detects touch events in the display area 132 by scanning the touch sensor 415. In order to scan the touch sensor 415, the sense circuitry 440 provides the driving signal 511 to the touch sensor 415. The touch sensor 415 generates the sensing signal 515 in response to the driving signal 511. The sense circuitry 440 receives and analyzes the sensing signal 515 in order to recognize the positions of the touch events in the display area 132. Similarly, the sense circuitry 440 detects touch events in the virtual key area 133 by scanning the virtual key touch sensor 420. In order to scan the virtual key touch sensor 420, the sense circuitry 440 provides the virtual key driving signal 521 to the virtual key touch sensor 420. The virtual key touch sensor 420 generates the virtual key sensing signal 525 in response to the virtual key driving signal 521. The sense circuitry 440 receives and analyzes the virtual key sensing signal 525 in order to recognize the positions of the touch events in the virtual key area 133. The electronic device 400 may perform functions based on the locations of the touch events detected by the sense circuitry 440. The drive circuitry 550 drives the display module 410 to display an image, such as the graphical user interface (GUI) of the electronic device 400. The touch sensors 415 and 420, the sense circuitry 440 and the drive circuitry 550 are physical circuits.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the sense circuitry 440 may provide the display module driving signal 511 to the touch sensor 415 according to a first timing. The sense circuitry 440 may provide the virtual key driving signal 521 to the virtual key touch sensor 420 according to a second timing. The first timing and the second timing are different. In other words, the sense circuitry 440 does not output the driving signal 511 and the virtual key driving signal 521 at the same moment. Therefore, the scanning of the touch sensor 415 does not interfere with the scanning of the virtual key touch sensor 420.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the sense circuitry 440 may provide the driving signal 511 to the touch sensor 415 at a first frequency. The sense circuitry 440 may provide the virtual key driving signal 521 to the virtual key touch sensor 420 at a second frequency. The first frequency and the second frequency are different. Since the sense circuitry 440 outputs the driving signal 511 and the virtual key driving signal 521 at different frequencies, the scanning of the touch sensor 415 does not interfere with the scanning of the virtual key touch sensor 420.
In still another embodiment of the present invention, the sense circuitry 440 may simultaneously send the driving signal 511 and the virtual key driving signal 521 through the same output terminal to the touch sensor 415 and the virtual key touch sensor 420, respectively. The sense circuitry 440 may send out the driving signal 511 and the virtual key driving signal 521 at different frequencies to avoid interference.
In order to scan the touch sensor 415 and the virtual key touch sensor 420 to detect touch events, the sense circuitry 760 instructs the drive circuitry 750 to provide the driving signal 511 to the touch sensor 415 and the sense circuitry 760 provides the virtual key driving signal 521 to the virtual key touch sensor 420. The touch sensor 415 generates the sensing signal 515 in response to the driving signal 511. The sense circuitry 760 receives the analyzes the sensing signal 515 and determines the locations of the touch events in the display area 132 based on the analysis of the sensing signal 515. On the other hand, the virtual key touch sensor 420 generates the virtual key sensing signal 525 in response to the virtual key driving signal 521. The sense circuitry 760 receives the analyzes the virtual key sensing signal 525 and determines the locations of the touch events in the virtual key area 133 based on the analysis of the virtual key sensing signal 525. The electronic device 400 may perform functions based on the locations of the touch events detected by the sense circuitry 760.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the sense circuitry 760 may instruct the drive circuitry 750 to provide the driving signal 511 to the touch sensor 415 according to a first timing. The sense circuitry may provide the virtual key driving signal 521 to the virtual key touch sensor 420 according to a second timing. The first timing and the second timing are different such that the scanning of the touch sensor 415 does not interfere with the scanning of the virtual key touch sensor 420.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the sense circuitry 760 may instruct the drive circuitry 750 to provide the driving signal 511 to the touch sensor 415 at a first frequency. The sense circuitry may provide the virtual key driving signal 521 to the virtual key touch sensor 420 at a second frequency. The first frequency and the second frequency are different such that the scanning of the touch sensor 415 does not interfere with the scanning of the virtual key touch sensor 420.
The other details of the touch-sensing method are already elaborated on in the aforementioned embodiments of the present invention. Therefore, the details are not repeated here.
The aforementioned embodiments of the present invention scan the touch sensor and the virtual key touch sensor by receiving and analyzing the sensing signal and the virtual key sensing signal respectively. The present invention is not limited to the touch sensor and the virtual key touch sensor. The other embodiments of the present invention may scan a plurality of arbitrary touch sensors by receiving and analyzing their sensing signals respectively.
In summary, the present invention uses a single sense circuitry to scan at least two touch sensors. One of the touch sensors may be used to detect touch events in the display area of an electronic device. The other one of the touch sensors may be used to detect touch events in the virtual key area of the electronic device. By using a single sense circuitry instead of two sense circuitries, the present invention reduces the cost and complexity of the electronic device. In addition, the present invention may increase the effectiveness, efficiency and user satisfaction with touch-sensitive electronic devices by using a stand-alone touch sensor to detect touch events on the virtual keys.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations may be made to the structure of the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. In view of the foregoing, it is intended that the present invention cover modifications and variations of this invention provided they fall within the scope of the following claims and their equivalents.
Claims
1. An electronic device, comprising:
- a display module integrated with a first touch sensor, wherein the first touch sensor generates a first sensing signal in response to a first driving signal;
- a second touch sensor, generating a second sensing signal in response to a second driving signal;
- a drive circuitry, coupled to the display module and the first touch sensor, the drive circuitry generating the first driving signal to drive the first touch sensor when instructed by a sense circuitry and driving the display module for displaying an image; and
- the sense circuitry, coupled to the first and the second touch sensors, the sense circuitry generating the second driving signal to drive the second touch sensor,
- the sense circuitry receiving and analyzing the first sensing signal to sense a touch on the first touch sensor and
- the sense circuitry receiving and analyzing the second sensing signal to sense a touch on the second touch sensor;
- wherein the drive circuitry to provide the first driving signal to the first touch sensor according to a first frequency, and the sense circuitry provides the second driving signal to the second touch sensor according to a second frequency, the first frequency and the second frequency are different.
2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the sense circuitry provides the first driving signal to the first touch sensor according to a first timing and provides the second driving signal to the second touch sensor according to a second timing, the first timing and the second timing are different.
3. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the sense circuitry simultaneously sends the first and the second driving signals through a same output terminal to the first and the second touch sensors, respectively.
4. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the sense circuitry comprises:
- a first receiver coupled to the first touch sensor, receiving the first sensing signal;
- a second receiver coupled to the second touch sensor, receiving the second sensing signal; and
- a transmitter coupled to the first and the second touch sensors and the first and the second receivers, sending the first driving signal to the first touch sensor and sending a control signal to trigger the first receiver to receive the first sensing signal, sending the second driving signal to the second touch sensor and sending the control signal to trigger the second receiver to receive the second sensing signal.
5. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the sense circuitry instructs the drive circuitry to provide the first driving signal to the first touch sensor according to a first timing, the sense circuitry provides the second driving signal to the second touch sensor according to a second timing, the first timing and the second timing are different.
6. A touch-sensing method for an electronic device having
- a display module integrated with a first touch sensor, a second touch sensor, a drive circuitry, coupled to the display module and the first touch sensor, and
- a sense circuitry coupled to the first and second touch sensor, comprising
- the sense circuitry configured to:
- instruct a first driving signal to be provided to the first touch sensor by the drive circuitry according to a first frequency;
- provide a second driving signal to drive the second touch sensor according to a second frequency;
- receive and analyze a first sensing signal generated by the first touch sensor in response to the first driving signal sensor;
- receive and analyze a second sensing signal generated by the second touch sensor in response to the second driving signal sensor,
- wherein the first frequency and the second frequency are different.
7. The touch-sensing method of claim 6, further comprising:
- driving the display module to display an image by a drive circuitry.
8. The touch-sensing method of claim 7, further comprising:
- instructing the drive circuitry to provide the first driving signal to the first touch sensor according to a first timing; and
- providing the second driving signal to the second touch sensor according to a second timing, wherein the first timing and the second timing are different.
9. The touch-sensing method of claim 6, furthering comprising:
- providing the first driving signal to the first touch sensor according to a first timing; and
- providing the second driving signal to the second touch sensor according to a second timing, wherein the first timing and the second timing are different.
10. The electronic device of claim 6, wherein the sense circuitry simultaneously sends the first and the second driving signals through a same output terminal to the first and the second touch sensors, respectively.
11. The touch-sensing method of claim 6, further comprising:
- sending the first driving signal to the first touch sensor and sending a control signal to trigger the receiving of the first sensing signal; and
- sending the second driving signal to the second touch sensor and sending the control signal to trigger the receiving of the second sensing signal.
20090040193 | February 12, 2009 | Geaghan |
20090213092 | August 27, 2009 | Kuo et al. |
20100134422 | June 3, 2010 | Borras |
20100182273 | July 22, 2010 | Noguchi et al. |
20110037713 | February 17, 2011 | Chen et al. |
20110141042 | June 16, 2011 | Kim et al. |
20110210939 | September 1, 2011 | Reynolds et al. |
20110227847 | September 22, 2011 | Yoshiyama |
20110248944 | October 13, 2011 | Liu et al. |
20110291961 | December 1, 2011 | Hsieh et al. |
20120044195 | February 23, 2012 | Nakanishi et al. |
20120056834 | March 8, 2012 | Kim et al. |
20130069894 | March 21, 2013 | Chen et al. |
1529869 | September 2004 | CN |
101017419 | August 2007 | CN |
H06-160118 | June 1994 | JP |
H07-064702 | March 1995 | JP |
2011-002926 | January 2011 | JP |
2011-180739 | September 2011 | JP |
2011-198009 | October 2011 | JP |
20110081040 | July 2011 | KR |
M246655 | October 2004 | TW |
201205399 | February 2012 | TW |
2010126072 | November 2010 | WO |
- Laplante, Philip A., Comprehensive Dictionary of Electrical Engineering, 2005, Second Ed., p. 521.
- “Office Action of German co-pending Application”, issued on Sep. 23, 2013, p. 1-p. 5.
- “Office Action of Korean Counterpart Application”, issued on Nov. 15, 2013, with English translation thereof, p. 1-p. 8.
- “Office Action of Japan Counterpart Application”, issued on Jan. 7, 2014, p. 1-p. 3.
- “Office Action of European Counterpart Application”, issued on Sep. 29, 2014, p. 1-p. 5.
- “Office Action of Taiwan Counterpart Application”, issued on Nov. 28, 2014, p. 1-p. 9.
- “Office Action of U.S. Related Application, U.S. Appl. No. 13/773.617,” issued on Jun. 30, 2015, p. 1-p. 19.
- “Office Action of United States Counterpart Application”, issued on Nov. 21, 2014, p. 1-p. 30.
- “Office Action of Taiwan Counterpart Application”, issued on Jan. 8, 2015, p. 1-p. 10.
- “Office Action of U.S. Counterpart Application, U.S. Appl. No. 13/773,617” issued on Mar. 6, 2015, p. 1-p. 27.
- “Office Action of China Counterpart Application”, issued on Feb. 28, 2015, p. 1-p. 11.
- “Office Action of US Related Application, U.S. Appl. No. 13/773,617”, issued on Dec. 3, 2015, p1-p15.
Type: Grant
Filed: Sep 7, 2012
Date of Patent: Mar 29, 2016
Patent Publication Number: 20130093701
Assignee: HTC Corporation (Taoyuan)
Inventors: Pi-Lin Lo (Taoyuan County), Te-Mu Chen (Taoyuan County), Cheng-Hsi Liu (Taoyuan County), Yi-Fan Hsueh (Taoyuan County)
Primary Examiner: Gerald Johnson
Assistant Examiner: Maheen Javed
Application Number: 13/606,026
International Classification: G06F 3/041 (20060101); G06F 3/0488 (20130101);